


Cheat

by Shipsandmonuments



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Feelings, Implied/Referenced Cheating, Levi keeps getting interrupted I'm sorry, M/M, Morally Ambiguous Character
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-01
Updated: 2019-01-01
Packaged: 2019-10-02 04:32:24
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,827
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17257628
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Shipsandmonuments/pseuds/Shipsandmonuments
Summary: Levi screws up. Big time.





	Cheat

**[1:12pm] [Incoming call from Levi]**

“Yes?" 

“Eren, I –” 

“This is Armin, and Eren tells you to fuck off.”

“Armin, please let me talk to him –”

“No. You don’t get to say that after what you did to him. You don’t get to say that at all.”

“Look, Armin, I –” 

“Will you please just go away? This is bad enough as it is, can you not make it worse?”

“I swear to god I’m not going to make it worse, please just let me talk to him!”

“ _You’re not going to make it worse?_ You bastard, you know what you fucking did, and whatever you’re trying to do right now  _is_ making it worse!”

Levi is speechless for a moment, taken aback by Armin’s language. “But I’m –” 

“Stop trying to make excuses,” snapped Armin.  

“I’m not! I’m serious, I –” 

“You are, you so fucking are right now, so fuck off –” 

“I DON’T EVEN REMEMBER WHAT HAPPENED!” shouted Levi. 

“Funny enough, I do,” muttered Eren, barely audibly. 

“Eren? Please tell me you’re okay, I’m –” 

“Levi,” interjects Armin. 

“Yeah?” says Levi breathlessly. 

“Bye.” 

 _Click_. 

\--- 

After a scalding hot shower, Levi decides that he has no choice but to resort to other options. He checks his phone again (nothing from Eren), and dials Erwin’s number. 

His call is picked up moments later. “Levi.” 

“I need your help.” 

“Smith services, reporting to duty,” replies Erwin smoothly on the other end. “What is your command, m’lord?” 

Levi bites back a growl. “Not funny, _eyebrows_. I think Eren’s mad at me.” 

“You think?” 

“I don’t know! He won’t talk to me, and Armin or Mikasa keep picking up my calls.” 

“You know, Levi, that usually means –”

“Not the time, Erwin,” Levi warns again. “I’m serious.” 

“Okay,” says Erwin, and Levi is eternally grateful he has this man as a friend. “What’s wrong?” 

“I think something happened last night. While I was out.” 

“And you think this because…?” 

“I was drunk. At a bar. Like, black-out drunk.” 

“Who were you with?” 

“Uh, Kenny.” 

There is a long moment of silence. Then: “Oh, no.” 

Levi lets out a humourless laugh. “Yeah.” 

“Tell me you didn’t.” 

Another defeated laugh. “Can’t really do that. I can barely remember half the night.” 

“Jesus Christ, Levi, cheating is one thing, but _incest_ –” 

“What the fuck! Erwin, I DID NOT SLEEP WITH MY UNCLE.” 

“Thank fucking god! Wait, then did you –” 

“Sleep with someone else? Yeah, sounds like it. Worst thing is, I don’t even remember it.” He hears Erwin sigh. “Look, Erwin, you don’t need to tell me how bad I fucked up, I already know it. I need a way to fix it. And don’t ask me how I actually feel about Eren. You know damn well how I feel and if you dare doubt that, I will personally drive over to your office right now and skin you alive.” 

“I don’t doubt it,” says Erwin. Levi must have expressed some sort of confusion over the line, or Erwin just knows him that well, but the man elaborates. “I know how you feel. I’m just saying, you can’t ask me for help on something so personal. My advice would be to talk to him about it –” 

“Not like I haven’t tried,” Levi mutters. 

“Levi.” 

“Right, go on. Sorry.” 

Erwin continues, “I think that really, there’s only so much you can do. In the end, it’s his decision, and you know you can’t force it. Eren isn’t an unreasonable person, so I trust that he wouldn’t just break up with you without a perfectly valid reason.” 

“You’re just such a fucking ray of sunshine, aren’t you?” 

He can nearly hear Erwin smile. “You wouldn’t come to me to listen to someone go on about how your relationship is going to be perfect. That’s more of Hanji’s job.” 

Levi sighs. “I know. Thanks, I guess.” 

“Anytime. Good luck, Levi.” 

“Thanks.” 

\--- 

 _A few days later (?)_  

His knock is answered by none other than Armin and Mikasa, who are filling up the doorframe and radiating hostility. 

“Flowers,” says Mikasa flatly, flicking her eyes down to the bouquet he’s clutching. 

“Y-yeah.” 

Mikasa glares at him, and Levi wilts under her fury. Armin walks up and leans close to his face and all but snarls, “If you even _think_ you have a chance of getting him back, I’ll shove a dictionary down your throat. You don’t. And you don’t deserve it anyway.” 

Scratch whatever he thought about Armin being a soft little puppy. The kid is more terrifying than Mikasa when he’s pissed off. 

The hall leading inside the apartment creaks. They turn their attention to it, and… there’s Eren. The name leaves Levi’s mouth before he realises it, and he’s reminded of just how unwelcome he is as his two hosts turn their glowers back to him. “Um.” 

Eren runs a tired hand over his face. “Look, guys, just clear off for a bit, yeah? We need to talk this out.” 

What does Eren even mean by that? Levi can feel anxiety creeping up his neck as Eren shoos Mikasa and Armin away and gestures for him to enter the apartment. “Thanks for the flowers, I guess,” he says. 

Wait, is Eren breaking up with him? Shit, is this a goodbye? “Look, Eren, I’m really, really sorry, can we please –” 

“Save it,” Eren sighs. “Just tell me what happened.” 

Levi swallows. “I… can’t.” 

Eren laughs quietly to himself, shaking his head in exasperation. “Levi, if you’re trying to convince me to forgive you, this really isn’t helping.” 

“I can’t, because I don’t remember,” says Levi for the hundredth time, since he’s lamented the event pathetically with Erwin and Hanji over a good amount of spirits and at this point even his dead grandfather would know about it, “Eren, I really don’t remember anything from that night, and I’m sorry about it, but I also can’t apologize for what I don’t remember.” 

“You know,” says Eren with a wryness that makes Levi’s heart ache, “I could slap you right now.” 

“You could.” 

“And you’d deserve it.” 

“I would.” A pause. “Eren, I’m sorry.” 

Eren laughs again and turns away from him, beginning to pace in the room. “I know you are. But that’s kind of hard to believe, you know, when you don’t even remember what you did.” 

“Then tell me,” pleads Levi. “Please.” 

“You came home,” said Eren. He halts for a moment, hesitating, and Levi can feel the dread tightening around his chest. “Drunk.” Levi doesn’t speak, waiting for the other shoe to drop. “With another man.” 

He knew it. He fucking knew it. “I –” 

“I said save it, Levi. You can’t apologize for what you don’t remember. Do you want me to go on?” 

“If – if you’re okay with it.” The guilt is already eating him alive, but Levi vows to hear it through. 

“You came home and I was in the kitchen making your black tea and I called your name, but you didn’t answer so I looked into the living room. You know what I saw, Levi?” 

He shakes his head stiffly. He can already guess, and he really doesn’t want to hear Eren say it, but he has to. “You were making out with the guy. He had you against our fucking front door, Levi, do you know how shitty that was? To have me look? When I was ready for bed, waiting for you to come back?” 

“And –” he has to clear his throat to force down the lump that’s slowly choking him. “I didn’t. Not really.” 

Eren snorts. “No, you didn’t,” he agrees, voice wavering. 

“Fuck.” Levi realises his knuckles are white from gripping the flowers and a few stray thorns from the roses are pricking into his palm and he drops them, hearing the muted crinkle of them as they fall. He crouches on the ground and puts his head between his knees, hands tugging at his hair. “ _Fuck_.” 

“The guy cleared off when he saw me,” continues Eren, “And then I was too upset to deal with you so I called you a cab and sent you off to Hanji’s place.” 

He stops speaking after that, so Levi is left in the deafening silence and the crushing weight of his guilt. 

“I’ll leave,” he says, face still in his knees. He turns his head up to face Eren. Eren’s figure is starting to blur. His body feels like it’s trying to pull itself apart. “If you want me to. You’ll never have to see me again, I can move all my stuff out, I’ll call Erwin and –” 

Eren laughs bitterly. “How could I want that, Levi, when I see you like this?” 

“Eren, I –” he wants to say something, grovel, beg, apologize – but the words don’t come to him. He closes his eyes, waits for the burn to recede, feels something leak onto his face – and opens them again. “This is fucked up.” 

“Love is fucked up, I suppose.” A humourless reply, mirroring Levi’s tone. 

They lapse into silence again. Levi lets it envelop him, doesn’t speak for minutes. He can feel the pieces in him scatter and rearrange themselves. “Are you sure you don’t want me to leave?” 

“What do you think?” Eren’s voice sounds like it’s about to break, and Levi isn’t that far from it himself. 

“Then give me a second chance,” he says. He refuses to let himself lose the courage as he stands and strides over to where Eren is standing, raising his hands to hold Eren’s cheeks and bringing their foreheads together. “Just once. No more. For me to make it up to you, for the rest of your life, if you want me there.” He stares into Eren’s eyes firmly. “I don’t deserve it, I won’t ever deserve what you give me, but please. I – I can’t lose you.”

He can’t breathe as he holds Eren’s gaze for a long moment, watching the conflict warring in the shimmering green eyes, feeling like he’s suffocating as he sees the conviction set within them. Awaiting Eren’s next words as he clings onto every memory he knows within those eyes, the warmth of Eren’s cheeks tickling his fingertips.

“That’s a pretty shitty marriage proposal,” Eren says. “Pretty shitty timing, too.” 

He stills. “I didn’t mean it that way.” 

Eren chuckles, and this time it sounds just a bit more human than before. “I know.” He breathes in and out one more time. “But yes. You have your second chance.” 

Before he knows it, he’s pulling Eren close and burying his face into his warm shoulder. “Thank you.” 

Eren returns his hug, mumbling lowly, “They did use to call me a suicidal bastard.” Levi winces. “Too soon?” 

“Far too soon. Eren?” 

“Yeah?” 

“If this happens again –” 

“Don’t say it like it’s going to,” mutters Eren, and Levi smacks lightly him on the back. “Okay, fine. What?" 

“If anything like this happens again, promise me something.” 

“Okay?” 

“Don’t give me another chance.” 

**Author's Note:**

> I don't condone cheating or emotional abuse by any means, but I do believe relationships are built on trust and if one side trusts the other not to make the mistake again then maybe things like these can be forgiven. (Ambiguous morals much?)  
> Anyways, hope you guys liked it and please feel free to give some comments and feedback!


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